Photography

4.22.2012

The Maze

Sun rise view of La Sal Mountains

I look around and in every direction I see incredible rock
formations, vibrant spring flowers, and stunning skies. I am in the Maze District of CanyonlandsNational Park. The Maze is the least
accessible district of Canyonlands. The Maze is rarely visited due to its
remoteness, difficulty of roads, and trails. This is my first week of three
that I will be spending in this remote desert.

The Maze: Chocolate Drops

Horseshoe Canyon: Holy Ghost panel in the Great Gallery

Alcove Gallery

Day 1: Horseshoe Canyon hike. Ok, so I’ll admit right off
the bat, I am not much of a hiker; in fact I’d say that I don’t even like it
very much at all. In my opinion there are few reasons to hike, summiting a peak or
skinning to make some creamy backcountry turns. Anyway, I digress. Today, a 7mile out and back hike to The Great
Gallery, a wall featuring pictographs from the Desert Archaic culture. The pictures are both etched and painted with
mineral rich paint made from iron, manganese, and other minerals. Very similar
to the minerals found in desert varnish.
These archaic people where believed to have left the canyon in 1300 B.C.
leaving only these pictures behind. It’s a powerful thought to think about the habitat
and quality of life of the people hunting and gathering in such a harsh
environment. Hike and all it was astonishing and I am very glad I did it.

Day 2: Drive. Some
would say big deal you drove all day. This is no ordinary drive. With a fully
loaded F450 Western Spirit style and heinous rocky steep terrain, it was no
picnic. The Flint trail, very steep, narrow,
and rocky. In one section I had to do a five point turn to negotiate a hairpin
turn albeit in four wheel low with a harrowing precipice below. The constant rocking stayed with me all the
way through dinner that evening. Something like the feeling you have after being
on a boat all day.

Day 3: A 14 mile sandy hike through the Maze district. Today
we drop in the canyon from Maze Overlook. Today,was my most memorable scenery
from the trip. We circumnavigate Chocolate Drops, view more pictographs, lunch
at Chimney Rock, all while in the presence of astonishing landmarks such as
Elaterite, Bagpiper, and Ekker Buttes. We spend the day above, in, and below the
different rock layers of The Maze. On the hike we have some exciting scrambling
at the beginning and end due to the lollypop shape of this particular hike. The
scrambling was really fun with a group supporting each other and shouting beta
back and forth. “ Left foot down six inches, hand hold up and left a twelve
inches. “ Once we reach the canyon below it’s a seemingly endless sandy walk
down canyon and eventually out to Chimney Rock. We finish along the mesa back
towards camp. 8 hours later we are back in camp and preparing dinner for 8.

Day 4, 5, 6:
Finally some long awaited riding. 84 miles worth of fun 4x4 trail. We
experience all types of terrain, sand, rock, dirt, technical rock riding. This particular
trip I had a rockstar family that improved with every mile. Hans, an 11 year old
was the stand out who had extrodinary balance and determination to ride just
about anything. He sessioned each tricky technical section over and over again,
up to 11 times at one point. It was fun to have such a coachable talented youth
to help overcome these obstacles. It reminded me of myself when I first began mountain
biking. I had a single-track mind, so focused on learning to become a better
mountain biker. That’s all I thought about. Now; it’s most but not all I think
about. We would finish long days in the saddle and our little shredder would
not give it up, he was always right back on his bike, riding back and forth
working his technique, trying to wheelie, ride over obstacles, and so forth. Little Hans is a great example why I love my
job. To give the same opportunities I had and to share the wonderment of our
astonishing planet with other likeminded people. There is no doubt Hans had the
wanderlust, and I saw the gnarlust was developing quickly. I think we all can
be reminded by Hans to live life to the fullest, which means mastering skills, seeking
adventure, and living with a beginner’s eye.

Hans sounds rad! I know that feeling; being stoked on learning something new and not wanting to stop for the day... just keep going. What an amazing way to start your season- great group of people and in the beautiful red rock country in spring. Nice observations and recap, Wes. :)